If you’re not familiar with vinegar chicken, trust us when we say that it’s a really classic culinary pairing! Italy has agrodolce (a sweet vinegar sauce that can be served with most anything, including chicken!), while Poulet au Vinagre is a staple of French countryside cooking. Dotted with plump green olives and sweet-bitter orange, our vinegar chicken was inspired by both of those traditional dishes, and by something a little more modern; grocery store olive bars. Heady flavors and irresistible textures make this fundamentally simple chicken thigh dish a dazzling one for company. Serve it with a simple salad and some crusty bread, and we promise raves.
Why This Recipe Really Works
- Skin-on chicken thighs: You cannot fail when you start with perfect chicken thighs. Skin-on means that the meat bastes in its own fat as the chicken cooks in the sauce, for chicken that’s succulent, juicy and so tender.
- Acidity, meets fat, sweet and salt: Vinegar punches right through the richness of the skin-on chicken thighs, and swirls around with the salty olives and sweet-tart oranges, meaning this gorgeous dish checks every single flavor box, bite after perfect bite.
- We’re pulled inspiration from a tried-and-true combo: Green olives and oranges. The olive bar at our local grocery store (which also inspired our Sheet Pan Olive Bar Chicken) always has an option that includes green olives in a slightly sweet, orange-y marinade. It’s a sweet-bitter-briny pairing that we cannot get enough of.
Key Ingredients Explained
- Chicken: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are the star here. Their richness is just right when paired with all of the other powerful flavors we use in this dish.
- Vinegar: Cooking with distilled white vinegar is a power move, we admit. We love the way it adds an unforgettable zing to the finished dish, but it’s still subtler than you’d imagine after the chicken is done cooking.
- Orange: One orange is enough, and use organic if you can, since we use the peel as well.
- Olives: Though this recipe is inspired by the olive bar, jarred Castelvetrano olives are best, since you’ll need the brine as well as the olives themselves. So, if you grab the olives at the olive bar, be sure to get some brine!
- Fresh garlic: Can you even make a dish like this without garlic?
- Pantry seasonings: Red pepper flakes, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Tips on How To Make
- Prep: Grab an oven-proof skillet that’s large enough to hold all eight chicken thighs, salt the chicken thighs, and crank your oven to 400°F.
- Brown the chicken thighs in olive oil and set them aside. This step is boring and also very important — get that chicken skin really crispy and golden.
- Make the orange and olive sauce: Cook the orange slices in the pan, then add the vinegar, brine, garlic, seasonings and browned chicken.
- Bake! Pop that skillet in the oven for about 30 minutes,
- Baste the chicken with the vinegar sauce. Add the green olives — we add them towards the end so they stay plump and succulent — and bake until the olives are warmed through.
- Serve!
How To Store Leftovers
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days, and should taste delicious! Reheat them gently in a pan, or you could microwave them in a pinch. Unfortunately, this dish does not freeze well, so you’ll just have to gobble it up when it’s fresh!
What To Serve With Vinegar Chicken
- A simple green veggie is always nice! Try serving it with Broccolini or Green Beans.
- If you’re serving this to company, a show-stopping salad, like this Fig & Goat Cheese Salad, would really take dinner over the top.
- A beautiful loaf of bread — like Homemade Sourdough — would be a dream. Don’t forget the salted butter!
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